Lupine Mountain Ch. 06

Note: There is no actual sex in this chapter. I couldn't figure out how to put any in without it feeling choppy. So you guys will have to deal until the next chapter, which is being proofread and will be submitted by the end of next week. Excuse any spelling or grammar errors; I can't seem to find an editor.

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Darla backed into a corner as ten Ursulas moved to attack Connel. She watched as Connel threw Erik across the room into a stone wall. She was staring at Erik when something hot and wet sprayed across the front of her body. She looked down to see that it was blood. Darla lifted her eyes to find the source of the blood. What she found made her wish she had never lifted her eyes. One of the Ursulas was lying on the ground by her feet with his throat ripped out. The blood was still flowing out of the gaping wound. Darla just stared in horror at the bloody man, and then she looked more closely at the wound. It was actually starting to heal! She watched in fascination as the flesh knit back together closing the windpipe and sealing the arteries and veins. She couldn't take her eyes off of this miracle. A shout and fresh blood hitting her face pulled her out of her revere.

It was then that Darla remembered the Connel was fighting five men...wait four since the one at her feet was out of the fighting. She looked up, searching for him. Her eyes found the four men surrounding Connel, who was in hybrid form. He was making short work of his attackers with the longer arms his hybrid form gave him. She watched as he practically disembowelled two of them before throwing one over his shoulder towards the door they had all come through. Darla realized that more Ursulas were coming in the room as the man's body landed just in front of the doorway.

They came into the room like a swarm of locus. And just like locus they flowed over Connel, making him disappear beneath their bodies. Darla felt her body flush with anger and fear for him. She stooped to pick up a steak knife sitting beside a plate and bowl, apparently left from Erik's dinner. She started to run to help him. Just as she was about to reach him, a body stepped in front of her, halting her progress. Without thought she pushed the body away from her, growling in anger. She was startled to see that body fly across the room, but she had other things on her mind to wonder at it.

Darla waded her way into the men pinning her mate, pushing, kicking, punching, even biting to get them away. She stepped to the side in time to avoid a hand that reached for her. She grabbed that hand and pulled it. The man fell into her and she used his momentum to flip him onto his back. She moved her hand quickly and plunged the knife hilt deep into his chest, spurting even more blood onto her naked body. Darla heard movement to her left. She turned, kicking blindly and felt her foot connect with hard flesh, hearing the "Oomph" from the victim.

Another Ursula, this time in hybrid form, shot past Darla with absurd speed, tousling her hair and slicing his claws into her stomach. She cried out in pain, stumbling to the side as another hybrid rushed at her. It surged into her path and scored her shoulder with sharp teeth. She dropped to one knee, bringing the knife up in an arc to protect her body. A crimson spray followed the knife's path across the Ursula's stomach. She surged to her feet, holding the knife against her forearm, ready for the next attacker.

Darla still couldn't see Connel and she was only a few feet away from where she had started. Tears formed in her eyes and ran down her cheeks before she could stop them. Frustrated, scared, and seriously pissed off, she wiped the tears off her face and took a step toward the throng of Ursulas. As her foot touched the ground an incredible pain seared up her leg and it collapsed beneath her. The pain continued up her body. Darla screamed as it felt like her bones were breaking and her muscles were being ripped apart. Her skin felt feverish and sensitive, like it was about to split open and spill boiling blood. Her plump lips opened on a scream that was cut off by the swelling in her throat. She clenched her jaws causing her suddenly sharp teeth to rip open her tongue. She wheezed for air, not caring that blood and saliva dripped from her useless mouth. Her sky blue eyes slammed shut against the suddenly bright lights in the room.

Then suddenly the pain was gone.

Darla opened her eyes and looked at the room. Connel was still in the middle of the Ursulas, fighting for his life and hers. Her eyes moved to the wall that he had thrown Erik into, to find Erik leaning against it, staring at her in amazement. She looked down at herself and was startled to see that she was only four feet from the ground. She saw two huge inky black paws where she thought her hands were. Darla lifted her right hand and watched as the right paw lifted. She had shifted without ever having been bitten and seeing her first full moon.

Darla opened her mouth and growled around new teeth, "Leave my mate ALONE."

Darla leapt onto the nearest person with no thought other than to save her mate from these attackers. Thick, hot blood spurted into her mouth as her jaws closed around his throat. She wanted to rip his throat out and eat his flesh. All thoughts of saving her mate fled in the face of her hunger. She swallowed the sweet, metallic liquid and released the man quickly before her wolf took over and they sacrificed their mate for bloodlust. *Patience, we will dance in their blood and devour them after he is safe,* she thought to her wolf. She felt her wolf agree that he came first, vengeance and food later.

She darted around another Ursula before he could grab her and swiped the back of his knees with her claws. She jumped in a high arc over a pile of them to wrap her jaws around the head of an Ursula that was about to claw her mate. Darla closed her jaws, crushing his skull, and dropped the body as another Ursula tackled her. She twisted her body, nipping at anything her mouth could reach. The Ursula cursed loudly and clasped a furry hand over his bleeding stomach.

"ENOUGH! Let them go," a voice commanded.

Darla realized that it was Erik who spoke in hybrid form, and it was Erik she had just wounded. "I did not realize that this woman was already mated and of a different species. It was and still is in her mate's rights to combat me for her. What right do any of you have to interfere in Were Law? So Wolfman, will you fight me for her? I give her back freely, unharmed before this skirmish. She is a bit too bloodthirsty and feisty for me."

Darla growled at that. She wasn't bloodthirsty. She just wanted to save her mate. Connel put a calming hand on her head to hush her. "I will take her back without challenging you. Your clan has just lost enough men to my mate for me to take away their leader as well. Promise us safe passage home and we won't go to the counsel for your clan's interference today or your presumption," he stated.

"Granted," Erik replied. "Bring me my herald" waving his hand in a dismissing gesture. The Ursulas filed out of the room muttering to themselves about the she-wolf and blood vengeance.

Erik sighed with disappointment. "Now I will have to make them swear to forego vengeance."

There was a knock at the door.

"Enter."

A wizened old man opened the door, a notebook in his small age-spotted hands. "You sent for me, my Lord?" he asked in a thin, reedy voice.

"Yes. I have two announcements to be made and heard quickly. Firstly, know that I give these two wolves safe passage through the forest. Know also that to harm them is to harm me. It will be taken as a direct challenge to my authority and as such will be dealt with swiftly and harshly," the old man's hand flew across the page, trying to record what Erik was saying verbatim. His hand shook with the effort of keeping up with pace of the words. "Secondly, there will be no blood-vengeance against the she-wolf for this act. We acted out of turn and she was defending her mate and her own virtue. Disobedience will be taken as a personal challenge, since I was the one to wrong her. I will see them in the fighting ring for one-on-one combat. That is all. You may leave."

The old man bowed, written words clutched in his thin hands. "Yes, my Lord. I shall have it announced right away, so there will be no confusion." He left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"Wolfman...I would have a word with you before you leave. A problem has come to my attention, which could lead to dire consequences for both our people. It needs to be dealt with swiftly and from both of our sides."

"Very well. May we make use of your baths and healers first? We both have wounds that need to be tended," Connel replied. One of his hands gently rubbed Darla's silky head and ears absentmindedly. She leaned her head against his leg and sighed with contentment. She absently wondered how to change back to human form, but couldn't really muster the energy to think too hard about it. Connel's hand was distracting, even if was only on her fur covered ears.

"Of course, how thoughtless of me. Let me have someone show you to a room where you can bathe and I will send a healer right away. Would you share my meal with me? Your mate is of course invited as well."

Connel looked down at Darla, asking the question with his eyes. Darla glanced at Erik quickly, then moved her head in a barely perceptible nod. "Very well. That would be acceptable."

"Lovely," Erik said as he moved towards the door. He beckoned to someone on the other side and whispered, "Show them a room with a large pool. And send one of our healers to their room. They will dine with me in my chambers after the healer has seen them."

A tall, graceful woman entered the room and gestured for them to follow her. Darla and Connel looked at each other, and then moved to follow her out of the room.

"Love, you have to change back so the healer can work on you. She doesn't know wolf anatomy," Connel said to Darla. She hadn't figured out how to change back and she was starting to panic at the thought of being trapped in this form forever. She whined and shook her shaggy head, not wanting to give voice to her inexperience in front of the enemy. Connel sighed and spoke to the healer, "Can you give us a few moments please? My mate needs to make sure that we are safe before she will change back."

"Fine. Just knock on the door when you are ready for me to come back. I have been pulled off of my rotation until I have seen to the two of you. I need to make sure my people are taken care of, so try to make it quick," the woman spat. She stormed to the door and slammed it shut hard enough that the whole room seemed to shake with the force of her anger.

Connel looked to Darla, amazed at the transformation of his beautiful mate. He had never seen a change that fast. He took the time to study her wolf now that they weren't ass deep in bears. She was taller than he was in wolf-form he was surprised to see. She was well built, sleek and muscled like a classic Ferrari. He knew that she would be able to keep up with him on a hunt. Her body was all smooth lines from the top of her pointy ears to the end of her graceful, velvety tail. Her fur had looked jet black in the other room, but now he could see that it shined sapphire blue, violet, and crimson red in the light. It was long and soft as rabbit fur. His wolf fur was coarse, even though his hair was soft. Then he looked into her eyes, expecting to see her baby blues staring at him surrounded by black fur.

What he saw was the whites of her eyes and they rolled to the back of her head. The multi-faceted fur started to recede and reveal Darla's pink skin. She cried out in pain as her body once again ripped apart and reformed itself. It was over very quickly and there she kneeled on the ground, naked and panting.

Connel knelt next to her and embraced her. "I am proud of you. That was quick by any standards...impressive for a first shift."

"It didn't feel quick at all. It felt like it was hours that my body was on fire. The shift to my wolf seemed even longer," Darla whispered as she clutched his arms.

"It was less than a minute. Even I take minutes to change. Your shift seemed almost instantaneous."

"How can I shift? I haven't gone through the initiation yet. And both my parents were human."

"I don't know. We will look into it when we get home. This is not the place to discuss our lack of knowledge. I will go get the healer now that she can work on you. Stay there."

Connel walked to the door and Darla's eyes followed his naked form as it moved gracefully across the room. He moved like a dancer even with all his bulk. He rapped his knuckles on the heavy wooden door. It opened immediately to show the healer with an expectant look on her face.

"Yes? Ahh...I see that she has changed back. Good. Time for me to work. Now sit down and let me examine you," she said in a brisk manner as she entered the room.

Connel and Darla sat in the chairs and allowed her to check their wounds. Darla had no injuries on her body. Her shift had healed her wounds; all that remained was her blood and the Ursulas blood, smearing her naked flesh with scarlet slashes, like a livid painter. Connel had one bite on his muscular shoulder and a few minor scratches scattered across his body.

"If you shift soon, then you will be completely healed. Do you want me to bandage them? Or will you shift before your bath?" the healer inquired patiently.

"I will shift before the bath so I won't dirty the water with my blood. We are fine. Go tend to your people," he said, dismissing her.

"Very well. I will have Erik informed. Someone will be by shortly to show you to his rooms for a meal."

"Thank you," Connel replied as he walked towards the pool of steaming water. He kneeled on the ground, waiting for the soft thud of the door closing. As soon as he heard it, he allowed his body to shift like it has so desperately wanted to do. A silver-tipped wolf was standing in his place. The wolf looked at Darla and rolled onto its back. Darla knelt next to Connel and rubbed his chest and stomach affectionately, before quickly slipping into the water.

She closed her eyes and sighed. The water was warm and relaxing. Suddenly Connel slid up next to her in the water and pulled her into his arms. A tension she didn't even realize she had slipped away and she relaxed against his chest. She slipped her arms around his waist and squeezed him tight to her, as the fact that she almost lost him overwhelmed her. Connel stroked her back with one large hand and made soothing noises.

His hand on her skin pulled her out of her hysteria and she moaned. His hands had glided down to cup and massage her buttocks, fingers dipping in the brush the lips of her pussy. Darla ran her hands up his strong back to glide them over his wide shoulders and slither over his muscular chest.

"We cannot do that here, my sweet. I will not be able to control my wolf and our first mating should be surrounded by our Pack," Connel groaned.

"Spoilsport. Fine, have it your way," she pouted.

Darla grabbed the sponge and lathered it with soap before proceeding to thoroughly wash every inch of her body making sure that he had a full view of her hands running over her gleaming skin. When she passed the sponge between her legs, she shuddered. Soon she lost all pretence of washing and just leaned back against the edge of the pool and massaged her hard, pink clit. Darla brought one of her fingers to her mouth and slipped it between her plump, red lips to suck on it the way she wanted to suck on Connel's swollen cock. She could see it in her mind, could feel it in her mouth, and practically taste him on her tongue. She suddenly moved the hand that was still rubbing her clit and sank a finger into her steaming pussy. She moaned loudly, jerking her hips to meet her hand.

Connel groaned and grabbed the sponge from her.

"If you keep doing that, I am going to say to hell with it and fuck you right here. See what you do to me," he growled. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his cock, which was engorged and stiff. Darla gasped to feel how hot his skin was against hers and how wet just touching him there made her. "Now wash me. We have to go see what this leader wants with us. Then we can go home and I can have your delicious body all to myself."

Darla put more soap on the sponge and began to wash him. He was right. She did not want to lose her virginity in an unknown place while being listened to by unknown people.

After they were clean and dry, Connel knocked on the door to let whoever was "guarding" them know they were finished. A man opened the door and gestured them to follow him. He turned as lead the way down the hall before stopping at a large door and knocking. Someone opened the door a crack and the two talked in hushed tones. The man leading them nodded and stepped aside and the door opened wide to show a naked woman standing at the entrance to a large room. She motioned them to come in and left, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

"Welcome to my chambers," Erik intoned, "Now to the matter I wanted to speak to you about. You have a traitor among your pack, who is in league with a few rouge Ursulas."